The traditional carols, Handel's Hallelujah Chorus, Mannheim Steamroller's Deck the Halls, Hark! The Herald Angels Sing, Joy to the World

The only songs I can't tolerate this season are Brenda Lee's "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" (sorry, but for me, her voice is insipid), Jingle Bell Rock, and, worst of all - "Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer"

Now, I'm Jewish, and there is a lot more to Chanukah music than "I Have a Little Dreidl." I love Peter, Paul, & Mary's "Light One Candle," and just about everything by the Jewish American group (from Boston), Safam.

I love Christmas music in general. It's one of my favorite things about Christmas. If I had to pick my favorites it would probably be:
It Came Upon The Midnight Clear
Silver Bells
White Christmas (by Bing Crosby)
Its Christmas Time Again(by Bing Crosby)
Christmas Memories(by Frank Sinatra)
A Cradle In Bethlehem(by Nat King Cole)
but I love a ton more as well

O Come O Come Emmanuel probably has the prettiest music of all of them. It is exquisite. I also like Mary Did You Know by Kenny Rogers. For sheer beauty I prefer the traditional religious carols. The secular ones get really tiresome. I completely agree about Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer. I find that one crass & offensive.

Religious:
O Holy Night
Do You Hear What I Hear
God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
Hark! The Herald Angels Sing, Joy to the World, O Come All Ye Faithful - with the caveat that I only like these when sung by a large choir

Secular:
Do They Know It's Christmas
Fairytale of New York
The Christmas Song
Happy Christmas (War is Over)
I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas

I also love Christmas/Holiday music! In our neibourghood we have many people who sing or had sang in choirs plus a very good pianist, so we have a tradition to gather round the grand piano and sing together. It is always one of my highlights in Christmas time.

I have to confess that I like White Christmas O Holy Night, in Swedish (O Helga Natt) is one of my favourites, too. And all five Christmas songs by Sibelius are beautiful... At least we have a great Finnish Christmas song tradition.

The only songs I can't tolerate this season are Brenda Lee's "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" (sorry, but for me, her voice is insipid), Jingle Bell Rock, and, worst of all - "Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer"

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I can tolerate Grandma Got Run Over (esp. the Irish Rovers version), and I don't mind "Jingle Bell Rock" (esp. the Muppets version, just because of Animal) ... but I agree, "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" is pretty awful. Any version, but particularly Brenda Lee.

And the one that makes me cringe every time because it's so borderline date-rapey is "Baby, It's Cold Outside."

All of them! OK, except O Christmas Tree and that one about the shoes, oh and this cat carol thing, that I've mercifully only heard only a couple of times. There are others that I'm not overly fond of, but those 3 are the only ones I can't stand.

Actually one that I dearly love, was originally on one of those compiltation albums when I was a kid (we're talking 1960's here). It was "The Star Carol" by Anna Maria Alberghetti. For years I've wanted that, but it was nowhere else to be found. Finally, this year it has appeared on iTunes!

My sister and I have a "contest" every year. We both pick a song, and when we are in the car together listening to the Christams station on the radio, whoevers song comes on first, wins. The loser has to buy coffee. This year was the record. We picked the songs as we were walking to the car, and like 3 songs later, my sister won. But, we just pick new songs, and keep going.

Tran-Siberian Orchestra - Christmas/Sarajevo
The Christmas Song (Chestnuts) - Nat King Cole
I'll Be Home for Christmas
What Child is This (AKA Greensleeves)
Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
Silver Bells
Jingle Bell Rock, mostly because it reminds me of my childhood

I usually would mention the traditional carols already listed but I have been in such a mood to party this year that I've been thinking about bar bands and horn sections and the holiday songs for a party or for snuggling. So in that vein:

The Ronettes: Sleigh Ride
Stevie Wonder: What Christmas Means to Me
Darlene Love, The E Street Band and the Miami Horns: All Alone on Christmas
Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band: Santa Claus is Coming to Town
Otis Redding: White Christmas
Leon Redbone/Zooey Deschanel: Baby It's Cold Outside
Mariah Carey: All I Want For Christmas is You
The Pogues: Fairytale of New York
Donny Hathaway: This Christmas
and so many others....

i like a good o holy night but dont cheat me on that last glory note
i like the bells of st marys, esp by andy williams
i like that mash up of little drummer boy and bolero, it is much better than it sounds

i've only been offended maybe 5 times in my whole life and each time it was due to dominic the xmas donkey. everyone involved in its creation should be shot. twice.

All of them! OK, except O Christmas Tree and that one about the shoes, oh and this cat carol thing, that I've mercifully only heard only a couple of times. There are others that I'm not overly fond of, but those 3 are the only ones I can't stand.

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Even if I liked that song - which I don't - I'd never be able to take it seriously after listening to Patton Oswalt's take on it. (NSFW)

Fairytale of New York is my all time favourite Christmas song, and I'm not alone - it gets the number one spot just about every time there's a vote for best Christmas song here in Sweden. A more traditional song I like is God Rest Ye, Merry Gentlemen, but that's mostly because of the things I associate with it. You know bad things are afoot when masked Santas are playing that song on Doctor Who...

A more traditional song I like is God Rest Ye, Merry Gentlemen, but that's mostly because of the things I associate with it. You know bad things are afoot when masked Santas are playing that song on Doctor Who...

Soundtrack to "A Charlie Brown Christmas" by Vince Guaraldi
O Holy Night (especially in French, or in English by the Lennon Sisters)
I Believe in Father Christmas - Greg Lake
Hark the Herald Angels Sing
Santa Claus is Back in Town - Elvis Presley

I may have mentioned this on this board in the past, but somehow I have it in my head that "Jingle Bell Rock" includes the lyrics "In the salt sea air" instead of "in the frosty air." I am always surprised when the singer does not sing "salt sea."

I used to love Mannheim Steamroller Christmas albums. The music in the late 80s early 90s when they first started out. I think we had tickets to their Christmas concerts for years. Now I find them annoying. As any of the smaltzy or ridiculous songs (red shoes, grandma got run over by a reindeer, the twelve days of Christmas-archie bunker version)
I like Christmas music during church services and the 3 or 4 days before Christmas - not beginning after Halloween like my radio station does. I found a new radio station this year - I usually switch back in January when the madness stops. I don't think I will this year.